ACA publication: Students’ motivations for Blended & Virtual International Exchanges During COVID-19

When the COVID pandemic hit, student mobility was one of the areas most affected as students found themselves unable to travel abroad for studies. This led to the ‘digital experiment’ of the last two years, which, while bringing forward many challenges for institutions, staff, and students, also brought new impetus to further develop models originally designed for enriching and widening the mobility experience. However, implementing such measures as an emergency  led to a number of issues and differing experiences among students.

In mid-2021, the Academic Cooperation Association’s Thematic Peer Group ‘New Mobility Formats’ conducted a survey to identify how students experienced these formats during the pandemic and identify both positive and negative aspects of their experiences. The topic was investigated from a dual perspective focusing both on blended – a combination of physical mobility with an online component – and virtual – online only – exchanges, bringing forward student experiences during the pandemic. The report, sheds light on some of the resulting key trends and issues that emerged from the 2020 and 2021 pandemic waves, while it also provides an opportunity to reflect on the effects of these new mobility formats and their potential for the future.

Read the full report here.